Prior art battery chargers use only on power source. Different power levels require complex source power modifying equipment.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a less complex method of providing different power levels by selecting power from a combination of available power sources rather than modifying power from a single source.
Prior art battery chargers decide what power to supply to the battery. Frequently the charger has no way of knowing that a new type battery is being charged. This system is expensive because if a new type battery is being charged then some method needs to be developed to let the charger know that a new battery is being charged, also the charger may need to be reprogrammed to supply the correct power.
It is therefore a further object of the present invention to move the battery charging decisions out of the battery charger.
Prior art battery chargers decide what power to supply to the battery. The charger must know how to charge many battery types if many types of batteries are charged. This makes battery chargers expensive.
It is therefore a further object of the present invention to simplify charging decisions by associating battery charging decisions with the battery being charged. The decision-making logic may only need to know how to charge one type of battery.
Prior art battery chargers must use large and expensive power modifying modules if the Battery charger is to charge high capacity batteries. These modules are very expensive.
It is therefore a further object of the present invention to not use power modifying modules. Instead, power is controlled by selecting a high power source when high power is needed.
Prior art battery chargers frequently are only able to charge a limited number of battery types and sizes. It is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide a battery charger that can charge all types of batteries now existing or that may exist in the future. The framework to do this is provided in the current invention. Versatile power delivery methods, data delivery methods, communication protocols etc. are needed. There are many and varied ways of solving these problems.